Tree Battle Takes Root

Residents Near Crystal Lake Band Together To Save 2 Old Oak Trees That Mchenry County Says Pose A Safety Hazard For Motorists.

December 02, 1998|By Steve Stanek. Special to the Tribune.

Two hundred years is a long time for something to live, and when that something is a majestic bur oak, it can be hard for a nature lover to contemplate its death.

After learning that the McHenry County Board's Transportation Committee recently authorized the Highway Department to cut down not one but two old oak trees near her house at Walkup Road and Running Iron Road, north of Crystal Lake, Janet Pence decided she would rather fight than grieve for the trees.

She has organized several like-minded neighbors to appear with her before the committee Wednesday in hopes of persuading the members to reverse their vote of two weeks ago.

"These are beautiful trees that would be here long after you and I are gone, if we left them be," Pence said. "I know there are a few neighbors who want the trees to come down. But other neighbors and I would like them to stay. If being close to the road is the criterion they're going to use (to cut down trees), there are not going to be many trees left on Walkup."

The trees stand on county right of way, a few feet off Walkup. They came to the attention of county transportation officials in September, after a car accident with minor injuries. A woman turning onto Walkup from Running Iron collided with another car and said the trees blocked her view.

The Highway Department followed up on the complaint and decided that the trees actually present two hazards.

One is that they are so close to the northbound lane of Walkup--6 1/2 feet and 10 feet--that a motorist whose vehicle slips off the roadway has little room for error. The other is that the trees are so close to the intersection with Running Iron that they block motorists' sight lines.

But Pence said the accident was the first one there in at least 15 years and believes the safety concerns are overblown.

Pence said she hopes to offer alternatives to cutting down the trees, including putting guardrails around them or installing a mirror at the intersection to help motorists see around them.

Earlier this week an arborist she hired to examine the trees told her both are in good health. One of them is more than 200 years old. He estimated the other tree is about 150 years old.

"It's a shame to have such beautiful trees come down," she said. "And I'm afraid that once they cut these trees, they'll come along and start cutting more."

Highway Supt. Jim Stahlecker promised that would not happen.

"We're only addressing these two trees," he said. "We've done other projects where we've switched road alignments to avoid trees. We try to preserve as many trees as we can."

He said he agrees with Pence that the trees are attractive but said the county wants trees to be a minimum of 10 feet off the roadway. Even though one of the trees meets that requirement, it is still too close to the intersection, Stahlecker said.

The trees might not have much of a future anyway. The county's five-year plan includes widening Walkup to three lanes, which would require the trees to come down.

"The big problem with these two trees is their proximity to the intersection," Stahlecker said. "No matter where we tried to put the widened roadway, they'd still be in the way."

Committee members also worry about the county's legal liability if someone gets injured or killed in a crash there, since the county has become aware of a potentially dangerous situation. "I don't see that we have any choice," said committee Chairman William Dwyer. "We have an implied liability."

Stahlecker said that if the committee sticks to its original vote, the trees could come down "in a few weeks at the latest, depending on weather."